Engineers Ireland Pre-Budget Submission

Engineers Ireland Pre-Budget Submission

The recent severe recession in Ireland has resulted in the delay or cancellation of many medium and long-term programmes, which are vital to the future growth and success of the Irish economy and the well-being of Irish society. Engineers Ireland is concerned that the very welcome improvement in Ireland’s economic fortunes is vulnerable to a continued focus on short-term expediency, at the expense of long-term thinking and planning.

We highlight six key areas in the Pre-Budget Submission which demand immediate attention: energy policy and infrastructure; roads and transport; education and training; flood management and water services; national broadband and communications, the impact of Brexit.

In addition to focusing on these areas, we wish to secure a firm commitment to fulfilling the aims of the National Planning Framework and to future-proof support and funding for the Framework ideally with cross-party support. To assist with this, we strongly urge the setting up of a single entity tasked with prioritising integrated infrastructural development in Ireland

This submission follows on from our report The State of Ireland 2016 which we published in May of this year. That report, the sixth in an annual series of independent reports on Ireland’s infrastructure, consolidates the expert views of highly experienced engineers in assessing the current state of Ireland’s infrastructure and identifying the gaps and deficits which need to be addressed.

Budget 2017 is a crucial one for Ireland. A firm commitment now to long-term planning and investment will help secure our future success in a stable and sustainable manner. Engineers Ireland is cognisant of the budget constraints and the political pressures which bear on any government. Addressing our infrastructure deficits and investing in education and training does require, and will continue to require, significant funding. However the cost of ignoring these issues or addressing them in a half-hearted or piecemeal fashion would ultimately be far higher and hugely detrimental to Ireland’s wellbeing.

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